Patent GB-1514972-A (GB)
Title: Electronic control devices for automatic gear boxes
IPC: F16H61/10
Filed: 1975-05-23
Abstract: 1514972 Change-speed control ROBERT BOSCH GmbH 23 May 1975 [11 Oct 1974] 52369/77 Divided out of 1514971 Heading F2D An automatic electronic control for a motor vehicle change-speed transmission, e.g. of planetary type, comprises a selector lever for providing electrical signals indicative of selected ratios and also exercising an hydraulic control function, a tachogenerator constituting a vehicle speed sensor, a sensor responsive, e.g. to engine throttle position for producing an engine load signal, a plurality of solenoid shift valves, a trigger stage associated with upshift, downshift and kickdown between first and second ratios, and a second trigger stage associated with upshift, downshift and kickdown between second and third ratios, with resistor networks connected between each trigger stage and the speed sensor and/or the load sensor to provide different hysteresis between upshift and downshift points for each ratio. First and second ratio hold, adjustable hysteresis, engine safety downshift prevention, and inhibition of establishment of reverse during forward motion are provided. According to the block diagram, Fig. 2, the signal from the vehicle speed tachogenerator 25 is supplied to first and second operational amplifiers 81, 82 acting as comparators, a signal from a potentiometer 34 of the load sensor 29 is fed to a matching circuit 38 which also receives signals from a kickdown switch 49 and signals from the selector 26 are fed to a change-down safety device 83 which also receives the outputs from the matching circuit 38 and provides further inputs to the amplifiers 81, 82. The outputs from the latter are connected through amplifiers 43, 44 with solenoid shift valves 22, 23. The solenoids have coded operation in which for first ratio both solenoids 22, 23 are energized; for second the solenoid 22 is de-energized whilst 23 remains energized; for third both are de-energized; for reverse 23 only is energized, and for neutral the state of both is immaterial since in this case the manual selector level 26 is exerting direct hydraulic control. An engine speed signal from a tachogenerator 84 is applied to an overspeed safety device 86 and storage arrangement 87 connected to the amplifiers 43, 44, and a signal from a second potentiometer 33 of the load sensor 29, together with the engine speed signal, is processed by a device 35 for simulating engine characteristics to provide a signal for a solenoid valve 24 which regulates the hydraulic system pressure. The 2-3-2 circuit shown in the lower part of Fig. 3 is the same as the 1-2-1 shown in the upper part, which alone is considered here. The positive output of the vehicle speed analogue 41, which decreases with increase in output speed down to a constant level above a predetermined speed, is applied to the non- inverting input (+) of the comparator 95 (corresponding with 81, Fig. 2), whilst the output of the load potentiometer 29, similarly decreasing with throttle opening, is applied to its inverting input (-) through 1-2 and 2-1 matching circuits 88, 89 respectively, that, 89 for downshift, being further reduced by kickdown at 49. A switching transistor 92 acts for manual selection at 26. Action is as follows. Initially the inverting input (-) of the comparator 95 is near ground potential and, on selecting Drive at 26, the speed signal 41 at the non-inverting input (+), now at its high positive value, causes the comparator 95 to switch on the solenoid 22 for first ratio by switching on a Darlington output pair 102, which, at the same time, short-circuits the downshift matching circuit 89 through a diode 106. With released accelerator the 1-2 upshift matching circuit 88 applies a maximum positive output to the inverting input (-) of the comparator 95, but at low vehicle speeds the speed signal 41 at its non-inverting input (+) is more positive until, with speed increase the speed signal at (+) becomes more negative than the load signal at (-), whereupon the element 95 triggers, rendering the Darlington pair 102 non-conductive and thus switching off the solenoid 22 to introduce second ratio, and at the same time, via the diode 106, cancelling the short circuit of the 2-1 downshift matching circuit 89. The latter is set to produce a higher output voltage than the 1-2 upshift matching circuit 88, thus rendering a diode 91 of the latter non-conductive, thereby providing hysteresis since the ensuing downshift, with vehicle speed reduction, is produced by the downshift circuit 89 and must occur at a lower speed than that of upshift by the 1-2 upshift circuit 88.  If first ratio hold is selected at 26, a transistor 92 is triggered through a diode 114, shortcircuiting both upshift and downshift circuits 88, 89, and a fixed input from a potential divider 107, 109 is applied to the inverting input (-) of the comparator 95 enforcing first ratio subject to vehicle speed being below a predetermined safe limit for downshift. The 2-3-2 circuit in the lower part of the figure acts similarly. A forward-movement reverse inhibitor is provided by a circuit, Fig. 7, not shown, which uses an additional operational amplifier (139) the non-inverting input of which receives the vehicle speed signal whilst its inverting input is connected to a potential divider (141, 142). To provide a ready adjustment to a different set of operating conditions, duplicated matching circuits 38 are provided in Fig. 5, not shown, and are switched in by a change-over switch (124). A matching circuit 38 in the load responsive line to the trigger circuits of Fig. 3 is given in Fig. 6, not shown. The throttle-actuated potentiometer 34 is in series with a fixed resistor (125) to form a potential divider the three leads of which feed a bridge network of four resistors (129 ... 134) and a decoupling diode (135), the latter feeding the kickdown switch 49 of Fig. 3. An engine overspeed safety circuit, Fig. 8, permanently disconnects the positive line 68 of the main circuit from the battery should an electronic fault cause downshift at excessive vehicle speed. Engine speed, sensed at the usual ignition contact breaker 84 and converted to a D.C. analogue by a rectifier, monostable trigger and low-pass filter circuit 85, feeds a safety circuit 86, comprising an operational amplifier, followed by a store 87 and switching relay 146, 159, fed through the usual ignition switch 151, and in which excessive engine speed fires a normally conductive thyristor 157 which, by base potential control through a Zener diode 155, renders non-conductive a normally conductive transistor 148, which de-energizes the normally energized relay winding 146, opening its normally closed contacts 159 feeding the positive line 68 of the main circuit. A positive path to the thyristor 157 through a resistor 158 maintains it conductive and the relay open even after switching off the ignition at 151, and the store 87 can be cleared again only by disconnecting the battery.